Loose Equipment

[Rick G]

I'm hoping someone can offer some insight as to which hitch I should purchase or offer ideas as to why my current hitch hardware continues to loosen.

Oct '12 we purchased a 2006 KZ JAG JB29 from a private individual and a e2 1,000 lb. round bar hitch from a dealer, which they installed. The KZ had a dry weight of 5,000 lbs and was approximately 30' long. The mounting brackets on the frame and "L" brackets loosened during every trip.

Oct '13 we purchased a 2014 Outback 298RE, which is 35' long, has a dry tongue weight of 925 lbs, and overall weight of 7,605 lbs. The dealer switched the hitch and told us the current e2 hitch would work fine, we informed them of the previous problems, they said the hitch wasn't installed properly from the previous dealer. We traveled about 100 miles home and again the mounting brackets on the frame moved as did the "L" brackets, everything was loose. I tightened everything again for the next trip, same thing upon arrival of destination, this has happened every time we pulled (6 times). I contacted the manufacturer, Fastway/Progress Mfg they said hitch was big enough and recommended Equalizer. The Equalizer uses the same type of mounting brackets so I'm really hesitant to purchase the type of brackets. Any ideas?

I looked at the Reese/Drawtite 1,200 and 1,400 lbs hitches, but they have bolt on cams for sway control and I'm concerned that drilling into the TT frame will void the warranty. Ideas?